The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 82nd game of the season last weekend. With that loss, the Pirates clinched their 16th consecutive losing season, tying them with the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies for the longest such streak in professional sports history.

It's quite an accomplishment.

Yes it is

My favorite:

Quote:

Step 4. Use the No. 1 overall pick on a college pitcher your GM says he is "comfortable" projecting into "a No. 3 starter."
Not only does a pick like this excite the fan base -- "No way! A No. 3 starter! Awesome!" -- but it allows you to bypass the likes of B.J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamels.

Another favorite:

Quote:

Step 355. Repeatedly pass over "can't miss" prospects in the draft out of fear of their price tag.
They'd just blow out their arms as Pirates anyway. Maybe this is the Pirates being more charitable than cheap. Why ruin a future star by making him a Pirate?

Too true

And finally ouch:

Quote:

Step 1,992. Cause players to lose self-awareness.
Only for the Pittsburgh Pirates could a player coming off a season in which he hit .173 with five homers and 13 RBI think he could do something called "Operation Shutdown." "Meet my demands! I hit .173! I'm a star!" Unfortunately, on the Pirates of the past 16 years, Derek Bell almost was.

Well, what's deserved is deserved.

X-Terminator

09-11-2008 03:48 PM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

And that record will be broken next season, because even with the players they've drafted/brought in, it's going to be at least 2 more years before you start to see any kind of progress. I admire the FO for trying to fix the mess left behind by Littlebrain and his predecessor Cam Bonifay, but they're facing an uphill battle.

stlrtruck

09-11-2008 03:53 PM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Terminator
(Post 434263)

And that record will be broken next season, because even with the players they've drafted/brought in, it's going to be at least 2 more years before you start to see any kind of progress. I admire the FO for trying to fix the mess left behind by Littlebrain and his predecessor Cam Bonifay, but they're facing an uphill battle.

Isn't like they did themselves any favor by trading away players either.

And by the time a player gets to be a good fit for the team, they usually push them off to a contender.

You know it's sad when Rays fans are pointing fingers and laughing at you!!!

X-Terminator

09-11-2008 06:39 PM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlrtruck
(Post 434266)

Isn't like they did themselves any favor by trading away players either.

And by the time a player gets to be a good fit for the team, they usually push them off to a contender.

You know it's sad when Rays fans are pointing fingers and laughing at you!!!

Dude, the farm system was an absolute mess. No talent anywhere. That's why Nady and Bay had to be dealt for younger players, so they can start rebuilding it. Now that Bobby Nutjob opened his eyes - and his wallet - and put more money into the minor league system, signing good, young players from Latin America and drafting players based on talent rather than signability, they are starting to correct that. In fact, their draft was rated among the best this year. The only question, of course, is what happens if and when they finally reach their potential. Will they simply trade them off or will they keep them? The prez says they'll be kept. We'll see about that.

SteelCityMan786

09-11-2008 10:35 PM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Terminator
(Post 434263)

And that record will be broken next season, because even with the players they've drafted/brought in, it's going to be at least 2 more years before you start to see any kind of progress. I admire the FO for trying to fix the mess left behind by Littlebrain and his predecessor Cam Bonifay, but they're facing an uphill battle.

In recent years it seems as if they have to climb up a smooth wall that is standing straight up and down and has no where to grab on and then when they try to climb up razor sharp points fire out.

rbryan

09-12-2008 12:51 AM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Embarrasing times to be a Pirate fan. I used to tell myself that MLB was to blame for not having a salary cap to even the playing field, but 16 seasons?? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometime.

Pathetic

stlrtruck

09-12-2008 09:08 AM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Terminator
(Post 434328)

Dude, the farm system was an absolute mess. No talent anywhere. That's why Nady and Bay had to be dealt for younger players, so they can start rebuilding it. Now that Bobby Nutjob opened his eyes - and his wallet - and put more money into the minor league system, signing good, young players from Latin America and drafting players based on talent rather than signability, they are starting to correct that. In fact, their draft was rated among the best this year. The only question, of course, is what happens if and when they finally reach their potential. Will they simply trade them off or will they keep them? The prez says they'll be kept. We'll see about that.

But they've continually traded good players for "farm" talent. Seems to me that new management has had plenty of opportunities since they've taken over to start a new "farm" system.

Maybe because I'm not in Pittsburgh, I don't get to hear what's truly going on with the team. However, I know that over the past 5 years they've dealt some key foundational players away for what seems like peanut shells.

X-Terminator

09-12-2008 10:09 AM

Re: Pirates finally getting some national press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlrtruck
(Post 434469)

But they've continually traded good players for "farm" talent. Seems to me that new management has had plenty of opportunities since they've taken over to start a new "farm" system.

Maybe because I'm not in Pittsburgh, I don't get to hear what's truly going on with the team. However, I know that over the past 5 years they've dealt some key foundational players away for what seems like peanut shells.

They traded good players for crap farm players. They did not do that this year - they got a legit solid major league player in Brandon Moss and 2 potential starters in their minor league system, one of which pitched very well in high A, in the Jason Bay deal. I know Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf have gotten rocked lately, but both have shown they can pitch effectively at the major league level, and Jose Tabata got rave reviews after he joined Altoona. They, along with another pitching prospect Daniel McCutchen (no relation to Andrew), came over in the Xavier Nady deal. Plus, they have Neil Walker (Pirates' Minor League POTY) and Andrew McCutchen (AAA All-Star) a year away from the majors and if they get this situation with Pedro Alvarez settled, that's one more talented player added to the mix and he would be 2-3 years away if he progresses the way they think. The only thing they don't have in the organization at the higher levels is a legitimate front-end starter prospect, but I think that will be addressed. And, as I said earlier, their draft this season was rated one of the best. So the talent is there - it just needs to be developed. Neal Huntington was part of a successful rebuilding process in Cleveland - I'm willing to give him a chance to see what he can do here. He's already shown signs of being a much better talent evaluator than Littlebrain or Bonifay ever were.